IRC-LA Awarded Federal Grant to Provide Citizenship Services

IRC-LA was one of only 28 agencies across the nation to be awarded a significant grant from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS-11-CIS-010-002) to provide citizenship instruction and naturalization application services to elder refugees, political asylees, and low-income immigrants, especially those at risk of losing their Social Security benefits if they do not become U.S. citizens.

Through this grant, IRC-LA is offering FREE civics classes to more fully prepare clients for the U.S. Naturalization Exam. Class size will be kept small to allow for individualized attention and the tracking of each student’s progress. Topics covered include U.S. history, English language, and preparing for the oral component of the exam.  These classes run Tuesdays and Thursdays from 1-2 PM in the IRC office.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s support will also allow IRC-LA’s Immigration Department to provide FREE assistance to those over the age of 60 with the citizenship application (form N-400), including verifying eligibility for citizenship, filing a fee waiver for those who qualify, and completing and submitting the citizenship application to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. IRC-LA is a recognized agency by the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA) and has a BIA accredited representative on-site who is authorized to provide immigration services. Please note: If you or someone you know is receiving naturalization services, be sure to verify whether or not the organization or attorney is authorized to provide those services! There have been various cases of reported fraud. Do not be a victim!